Gem of a Person
by Luna Darkside
Summary: Kaito was not expecting THIS when he stole the Detective's Guidance. /ShinKai, series/
1. Prologue

_This fic was inspired by a review left by the amazing Glowing Glasses. YOU ARE AWESOME. _

_Warning: Not proofread & written in an hour. Also, it's mostly dialogue. Apologies. __- Luna_

* * *

Kuroba Kaito leaned back in his padded swivel chair, stifling a yawn as he stretched his arms outwards, fingertips sweeping against the comforter lying on his nearby bed.

"Heist jewel located," he murmured aloud, allowing a weary smile to grip his lips for a moment. He'd been searching for a new gem to steal for the last six hours, exhausting all Google's possibilities and about three-fifths of both Bing and Yahoo's.

Most of the more prominent jewels had already passed through the gloved hands of Kaitou Kid, and it was getting to the point where Kid heists were becoming dangerously rare, due to a lack of gemstones located in Japan. Kaito was sure there were many more jewels overseas, but he preferred to keep his heists in the general vicinity of the country.

Heists were also losing audience. He'd only ever had Nakamori and Hakuba Saguru and the occasional guest detective after him, but recently Nakamori and the task force had been reluctantly reassigned to a chronic serial murder case, leaving Kid heists fairly unguarded, at least by police. Hakuba was always dutifully there, sure, but Hattori Heiji and Sera Masumi, his guest detectives, had slowly begun to slow their attendances. Kaito was starting to feel that Hakuba only attended out of obligation and not out of real desire to catch Kid.

When even _Hakuba_ was unenthusiastic about a heist, things were bad.

But this gem seemed promising, anyway. Kaito, blinking hair from his eyes, leaned forward abruptly in order to read the webpage once more.

"The Detective's Guidance," it read, "is a pale blue tanzanite rumored to be haunted by the immortal spirit of a young man. Those who have held the Detective's Guidance claim to have heard a voice speaking in their head. Little is known about the origins of this stone, though it was discovered by a member of the renowned Miyano family in the early 1990s. Recently, it was donated by the heiress of the Miyano family, Miyano Shiho, to the Yamazaki family. This supposedly cursed gem will be on display at the Yamazaki Jewel Center from December 14-25."

Sighing, Kaito pushed aside stray papers and reached for a pen. _Time to write the heist note._

* * *

Kaito stood on the rooftop of the Yamazaki Jewel Center, feeling intensely irate as he gripped the Detective's Guidance in one hand.

_Nobody _had appeared to try to provide resistance. Not even Hakuba. Well, unless you counted the Kid-crazy Yamazaki girl who squealed and tried to kiss him.

(She had been knocked out and locked up in the janitor's closet. As much as Kaito loved his female fans, he wanted to save his first kiss for somebody whose first name he actually knew.)

But _Hakuba _hadn't been there. _Hakuba_, of all people, had missed a Kid heist. Kaito made a mental note to give him hell for a week.

Now, to check for Pandora...

Kaito lifted the gemstone up into the moonlight. He frowned as the pearlescent light filtered through the light blue stone, catching on the blunt edges of the facets and sparkling like glitter. Was it just him... or was the jewel glowing blue? Upon closer inspection, he realized he was right, and the jewel _was _indeed emitting a rapidly brightening cerulean color.

Unexpectedly, the gemstone flared with brilliant azure light, and Kid gasped. The last thing he saw before black consumed his vision was the Detective's Guidance slipping from his fingers, flashing with imperious cobalt blue light.

* * *

Kaito woke to a pounding headache, the feeling of nausea ripping unpleasantly through him.

_Oh God, what the hell? _

Kaito frowned. He had not thought that.

_Why am I here? Don't tell me..._

He had not thought that either. An emotion akin to disbelieving panic was rising in him. What was that about the curse again? The voice of a young man speaking in one's head...?

_Dammit, am I inside someone's head again?! _shouted the voice, almost as if it had read Kaito's mind.

"Okay, what the hell is happening?!" Kaito shrieked. Luckily for Kid's reputation, he was alone on the roof and his only listeners were the wind and the quickly setting stars.

_Don't yell, for God's sake! Okay, calm down. Didn't you read up on the curse? You know, about the Detective's Guidance and all that?!_

"Of course I did, but curses rarely ever are true!"

_Well that one was, clearly, _the voice said drily. _Listen, what you should do is probably put down the jewel._

Close to hyperventilating, Kaito glanced down to find himself empty-handed. "I dropped the jewel before you... got here."

_...Seriously?! _The voice was sounding somewhat panicked now. _But I... I only end up in someone's head when they're holding the jewel!_

"Goddammit, I'm not holding anything, and _you're _still inside my freaking head!"

_This is weird. _The words sounded tight, and Kaito could sense the suppressed alarm the voice was trying to hide._ And anyway, why did you touch the jewel?! Miyano told me she was giving the jewel away to some museum so nobody would hold it and I could sleep away in oblivion!_

"It was for a heist!" Kaito punctuated the sentence with a chain of swearing.

_Heist? Don't tell me, I was _stolen_ by a _thief_?_

"No, you were stolen by an angel," growled Kaito, still feeling highly discomfited. "Who the hell do you think?"

There was a dignified sniff. _Where I come from, thieves don't refer to their stealing as 'heists." Also, I'm not appreciating the sarcasm, thief-san._

"I'm a phantom thief. Don't you know what those are?"

_Let's see, a phantom thief... A ghost who's a thief? How would that even work?_

Kaito rolled his eyes. "No. I'm a well known jewel thief who... Nevermind. Anyway, my name is... er... well, I'm the Kaitou Kid. And as previously stated, I steal jewels like the Detective's Guidance."

_May I ask why, or is it just some kind of pastime?_

"Because... never mind. It's just a pastime."

The voice let out a sigh. _I hear that croquet is rather fun, and you don't obtain a criminal record from it._

"Fine. It's because I'm looking for a jewel called Pandora. According to some legend, which I now thoroughly believe due to our little encounter, it can grant you immortal life. I'm trying to find it and destroy it before a criminal syndicate locates it and actually uses it."

_Pandora, you say? _The voice was quiet for a moment before the sound of mirthless laughter broke through Kaito's mind.

"What's so funny?"

_Oh, it's nothing. I think I know who you're talking about. _

"_Who_? We're talking about a _what_."

_No, you're talking about a... friend of mine. Her name was – is – Ran._

"We're still talking about a jewel."

_Listen, thief-san. Do you think I'm a jewel?_

"If we're talking about your personality, I'm going to have to say no."

There was an irritated (yet slightly amused) sigh. _No, I mean my physical form. Am I simply a _"what"? _Just a jewel?_

"Well, in my experience, I don't usually talk to jewels."

_Exactly. I was originally human, and.. It's a long story, but I ended up with my body and spirit trapped inside a jewel. It was the work of a witch. _

"How can your body be stuck in a jewel?"

_It's got something to do with creating a space where the laws of physics and science aren't applicable, then using a jewel as a sort of portal into the space. Then you force something or someone inside, reverse the anti-science field, and then close the jewel's portal, thereby trapping the person or thing inside a compressed area for pretty much eternity._

"Sorry, you lost me."

_I'm not particularly confident that what I just said is actually the process used, but somewhere in there a form of specialized magic has to be done. Now, when the witch who trapped me in here was finishing the last part, the part about closing the jewel's portal, she was interrupted, which is why part of my consciousness is allowed to be outside of the confinements of the jewel. Usually if someone is touching the jewel, my thoughts, part of my mind really, can be transmitted into the person's. But for some reason, you, thief-san, are not holding me, yet I'm still in your head._

"So wait, how long have you been trapped inside the jewel?" Kaito wondered, staring at the sparkling blue stone lying a few feet away from him.

_I'm not sure. But I was the..._

Kaito tilted his head to one side as the voice trailed off. "You were the...?"

When the voice finally spoke again, it had a heartbreaking, quiet lilt to it. _I was the crown prince of a... country._

"So I've really got a royal pain stuck in my head, huh?" Kaito laughed lightly, trying to cheer up the voice.

_You don't understand. After the witch shut me into the jewel, my country and another went to war trying to destroy the witch's country in revenge. She came from a country full of wizards and magicians and generally magic-users, so it was impossible for my country and its ally, with its total of four sorcerers, to defeat it. We were destroyed. I was forced to watch as everyone was slaughtered around me._

"You can see?"

_At the time I could. Part of my physical senses had been left outside the jewel as well as my part of my mind. But over the years the amount of my physical senses left outside the jewel has lessened and completely disappeared. Even though the closing of the portal was incomplete, the rest of my mind and my body inside are constantly trying to pull in the last bit of me. Soon I'll be completely gone, swallowed up by the jewel._

A thought struck Kaito. "Wait, are you immortal?"

_In a sense, yes. My body doesn't age, if that's what you mean. It will be forever stuck at seventeen, since that's the age I was trapped at._

"Anyway, back on topic. Who was that Ran you talked about?"

Silence.

"If you don't want to talk about it, just say so."

There was a pause, and then, _I supposed you deserve to know the full story about the witch and about my being trapped if I'm going to be here for a long time._

_What happened was there was an arranged marriage between a princess from another country and myself. This princess – known as Princess Heart to her people, and Ran to me – was a childhood friend of mine. I'd been in love with her for some time, and she'd been in love with me for just as long. So we were both secretly happy about our parents' decision._

Kaito felt a pang, of what he had no clue, but a pang nonetheless at the voice's words.

_A week before our wedding day, a woman – a girl, really – approached me, stating that she was in love me with and she wouldn't allow Ran and my wedding to happen. She also stated that she had been studying magic for months in preparation. At the time I hadn't known what she planned on doing with the magic and thought it was an empty threat. So I brushed her off._

_On our wedding day, she marched into the church holding two jewels. She knocked out all the guests and killed my and Ran's parents. She then trapped Ran inside one of the jewels completely, and then tried to do the same to me. As I've already explained, she was interrupted while trying by one of our few magicians, who happened to be a guest, but in the end she got away. _

_After that, I just watched and waited. Empires rose and fell, and I stayed the same. Until finally somebody picked me up. It was a scientist who thought I might be the secret to immortal life. I was studied in the labs of a criminal syndicate, probably a lot like the one you mentioned, but eventually I was abandoned and forgotten about. Finally, a girl, Miyano Shiho, found me, picked me up, and realized that she could hear my thoughts._

_She carried me around so we could have conversations – she even formulated a poison, something she called Apoptoxin 4869, from ideas I came up with. Of course, I hadn't originally meant for it to be a poison, but somehow that's how it ended up._

_Recently, though, she confessed to me, but I had to tell her I didn't return her feelings. She was heartbroken, of course, and donated the jewel to the Yamazaki family. And that takes us to now._

Kaito whistled. "That's some tough stuff you had to go through, huh?" A smile shadowed across his lips. "I almost think you're insane."

_Hey, y_ou're_ the one who's been conversing with a voice inside his head for over an hour, thief-san, _the voice retorted.

Blinking, Kaito realized that the voice was correct. He had been sitting on the rooftop, talking to his _heist_ _gem_, for long enough that the morning sun was starting to flare up around the buildings.

"Dammit, I have school!" he groaned. He staggered to his feet and scooped up the Detective's Guidance – which was slightly warm. Kaito stopped in his tracks to look down at it. A cornflower blue light was pulsing at its core. He raised an eyebrow and tucked it into his pocket.

Kaito started for the edge of the rooftop before realizing something. "Oh, hey, I never got your name."

_That's right. _Kaito could almost hear a smile in the voice. _I guess my formal name would be Crown Prince Spade, but my real name was Kudou Shinichi._

"Shinichi, then?"

_Sure. And you?_

Hesitating as he opened his hang glider, Kaito began, "I said that I'm Kaitou Kid –"

_Civilian name, if you would. _As Kaito wavered again, Shinichi added, _It's not like I can do anything as a voice stuck in your head. Anyway, soon I won't be even that. I'll just be an inanimate jewel, once my soul is pulled completely into the Detective's Guidance._

Kaito was quiet for a moment as he leaped off the rooftop, his hang glider catching a thermal easily. "I'm Kuroba Kaito. And you know what, Shinichi?"

_What?_

"Since I'm a nice person, I'm going to tell you that I'm not letting you get pulled into the Detective's Guidance."

_How exactly would do you plan on doing that? _wondered Shinichi, sounding cynical yet hopeful.

"Well, I know a girl who claims to be a witch. She can probably release you from the jewel."

_A witch?_

"Yep."

Shinichi was quiet. _This may not end well, Kuroba-san._

"You never know if you never try," Kaito argued cheerfully, swooping over a convenience store and landing in front of the Kuroba home. "Oh, and Shinichi?"

_Yes?_

"Call me Kaito."

* * *

**Another chapter fic from me! This time I'm doing a bit of fantasy. Unfortunately, I have no plot planned for this, so updates could be a bit sporadic.****Also, this thing has way too much dialogue. Good God. And the idea is quite cliche. **

**Oh, and the explanation of how Shinichi got stuck inside the jewel? Total BS. I had no idea how to make it sound scientific, because I'm currently failing my science class. If I get reviews telling me that it makes no sense, I'm just going to laugh at you.**

**Anyway, hope you liked it. It probably seemed fairly ShinRan-y, but not to worry, it _will _end ShinKai. Obviously.**

**Also, gigantic thanks to Glowing Glasses, whose review inspired this. She's an awesome ShinKai writer; go check out her stuff!**

**- Luna**

**(Oh, and did you catch the Desperate Revival references? :D)**


	2. Out of My Head, On My Mind

_OMFG, I'm still alive! So let's celebrate with a terrible, draggy, badly-written, uninteresting chapter! Full A/N at bottom. - Luna_

**Gem of a Person**

**Out of Your Head, On Your Mind**

Kaito strolled into class 2-B of Ekoda High School, whistling merrily. A grin immediately slithered across his face as all his classmates, grouped in small clusters, simultaneously cringed and tensed at his arrival.

_You're certainly popular, _Shinichi remarked, sounding halfway amused.

"Don't I know it," the thief sang, sliding into his assigned seat with a charming grace.

Shinichi seemed slightly startled. _Do you even _care _that people can hear you talking to me and will therefore label you as insane?_

"Nope~!"

_Dear God. You really are a lunatic. _Shinichi sounded disdainful, yet Kaito didn't miss the tiny, almost unnoticeable note of admiration hiding at the core of his tone. Kaito had to suppress an overjoyed – wait, why was he overjoyed? – smile.

"Kaito!" Turning, Kaito caught sight of a girl with messy hair pulled into a choppy half-up-half-down style bounding over. She was beaming brightly at him, which set him on edge.

"Aoko," he greeted warily.

She giggled. "Did you hear? _Nobody, _and I repeat _nobody, _went to the Kid heist last night! Finally, _finally _people are seeing what a stupid thief he is!"

Resisting the urge to clobber his childhood friend, Kaito glanced up as the door to the classroom slid open. A light-haired, half-British boy marched into the classroom, calmly closing the door behind him and making his way over to his seat. Kaito jerked upright. "Hakuba!"

_Who's th – _Shinichi's question was cut off as Kaito jumped up and hurried over to stand imposingly beside the Englishman's desk.

"Good morning, Kuroba-kun," the boy said serenely. "How are you?"

"Hakuba. You didn't go to Kid's heist," Kaito growled without preamble.

The brown-blond smirked as he extracted books from his bag and placed them precisely on his desk. "What an amazing deduction. Have you considered becoming a detective?"

"No, but I'll keep that in mind. Why, exactly, did you miss Kid-sama's heist?" Kaito queried, his voice informing his classmate that he was walking on thin ice.

Unexpectedly, Hakuba went a brilliant shade of cerise. His formerly smooth manner went instantly awkward. "I – er –"

_Hey, Kaito? _Shinichi's voice cut in.

"I'm a bit busy!" Kaito shouted in a whisper, causing Hakuba to look at him with a frown.

_No, you should listen to me. This guy – I think he was on a date with some girl._

"What?" Gaping, Kaito's mouth dropped half-open, causing Hakuba's frown to deepen. Clearly he was questioning Kaito's ever-questionable sanity.

Shinichi winced. _Seriously, you don't care about sounding crazy? _He paused for half a second before hurriedly adding, _Don't answer that. Anyway, just ask the guy who he was on a date with._

"Say, Hakuba," Kaito started, his voice now sounding casual, "who was she?"

Momentarily confused, Hakuba stared at Kaito. "Who?"

"You know." Kaito narrowed his eyes. "The girl you were with last night. Who was she?"

Hakuba's flush darkened, and he sputtered something in English.

"What was that?" Kaito smiled a smile so sweet it nearly made his teeth hurt.

"Kaito, what are you doing to Saguru-kun?" Aoko strolled over. Her expression darkened. "You better not be trying to dye his hair again!"

"I'm not, I swear. I was just asking about last night's hot date."

Abruptly, Aoko went bright red and pivoted around, glaring over her shoulder. "W-Well, that's none of your business, BaKaito!"

"…Aoko?" Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow. Aoko went four shades darker.

_That's probably the girl he was on a date with, _Shinichi supplied unhelpfully.

"_I know_!" Kaito shrieked, eliciting two more blank stares from Hakuba and his alleged girlfriend.

Kaito was inwardly torn. Despite that he and Hakuba were rivals, he knew the part-British boy was quite trustworthy and, he grudgingly would admit, a good person, really. But still, this was _Aoko, _his precious sister and best friend. Even if Hakuba was a good person, there was still a chance that he would hurt Aoko when they broke up.

_Kaito – _Shinichi started, sounding a little worried, but Kaito said quietly, "It's fine." (Which earned him two _more _bemused looks from his best friend and best rival.)

Kaito clapped Hakuba on the shoulder. "Okay, I approve of you two. But Hakuba, just know that if Aoko says a single bad word against you, I will personally hunt you down and kill you, okay? And I'll make sure nobody will be able to solve the murder." Hakuba cringed as the magician's fingers clenched his shoulder before letting go.

_That was… extremely intense. Do you really love Aoko-san that much? _Shinichi asked, sounding inquisitive. Kaito frowned when he realized that he was slightly disappointed that there was nothing but curiosity in the prince's voice.

"Yes. Not romantically, of course. As I said, she's my sister. It's a familial love," informed Kaito as he sat back down into his desk, eyes locked on the sliding door.

There was silence inside his head (a rare occurrence) for a second before Shinichi muttered, _Well, I guess that's a relief._

"Hm?" Kaito asked, but before the prince responded, the door slid open for the second time since Kaito's arrival, and a beautiful, pale-skinned, red-haired girl stepped into the classroom. Instantly all male eyes were drawn to her, though Hakuba fought it and stared at a smiling Aoko instead.

The redhead strolled casually over to her desk, where she seated herself with an imperious air, smirking at the male attention she received from her classmates.

Her lips instantly straightened, however, as Kaito approached. "Hey, Akako!"

The girl, Koizumi Akako, froze. "You – Kuroba-kun… I can't believe it! You really did try to steal that cursed jewel!"

Somewhat startled by the usually serene witch's outburst, Kaito blinked and managed a, "Uh..."

_Wait a sec… _Shinichi began, his voice sounding chary and a little disturbed. _Could it be…_

"Prince Spade! I… er…" Akako stammered, trying to get away from Kaito.

_You! You did this! _Shinichi's voice was permeated with fury.

A droplet of sweat trailed down Akako's temple. "I can explain, really!"

"You can talk to Shinichi, too?" Kaito wondered, completely confused. "Wait… what? You know he's Prince Spade?"

_This… _She's _the witch who trapped me in the goddamn Detective's Guidance! _howled Shinichi, making Kaito flinch and press his palms against his head.

"No shouting, please," he groaned before turning to a rapidly whitening Akako. "Is that why you can hear his thoughts? Because you're the girl who claimed to be in love with Shinichi and trapped him and Ran in jewels?"

"About that –"

_Seriously! _seethed Shinichi. _I can't believe you're still alive! I mean, I know witches live a long time, but still, shouldn't you be dead by now?_

"I made myself immortal after I put you into that gem," Akako muttered, a response that didn't seem to satisfy Shinichi. At least, that's what Kaito assumed from the bubbling of resentment he could feel fogging his head.

"Please, try to calm down. You're giving me a headache," growled Kaito, massaging his head and further messing up his hair.

_Oh. Sorry, Kaito, _Shinichi apologized, and Kaito recognized the note of genuine remorse in his voice as the feeling of anger slowly dissipated. _Better?_

"Yeah, much."

_Then back to the point. You're Lady Diamond, correct?_

"I go by Koizumi Akako nowadays, but yes, I was, at one point, known as Lady Diamond," Akako replied.

"Wait, did you really love Shinichi?"

The red-haired witch blinked at the blunt and fairly random question that had slipped from Kaito's lips, somewhat taken aback. "W-Well, I guess not. It just sort of annoyed me because he didn't love me, as I thought all men should and would. That was before I got smart and started using the spell."

"Oh." Kaito let out a tiny breath. "I see how it is."

_Well, Lady Akako or whoever the hell you are now, you're going to undo the spell that has me trapped in the Detective's Guidance. _

"What? No! That's impossible, Prince Spade!" cowered Akako. Kaito had never seen her so intimidated.

"Why are you so scared of Shinichi?" Kaito wondered.

"I'm not accustomed to my spells failing, and he's just a goddamn reminder," the witch huffed, crossing her arms across the front of her navy uniform.

_Read the mood, Kaito. This is no time for asking things like that. _Shinichi rebuked lightly before his voice took on a sharp, razor-sharp edge. _La – Akako, you're going to get me out of this thing or I swear –_

"What can you do from inside the jewel, anyway?" scoffed Akako, regaining some of her composure.

"I'll make you cry," Kaito suddenly butted in.

_Huh?_

Dark red eyes widening, Akako's pretty, angular face slowly began to drain of color. "You wouldn't. How?" she breathed.

Shrugging, Kaito smiled. "I came across some information on witches when I was researching my last heist gem, the one before Shinichi's. When a witch has the spirit of Lucifer, as you've claimed in the past, they lose their magical abilities if they cry." He paused. "Oh, did I say heist gem? Sorry, I meant when I was just doing some school research. I'm not Kid, after all."

_Thank you, Kaito. Although clearly Lady Akako knows you're Kid already._

"Yeah, well, there's no harm in denial."

"You… I…" Kaito looked back at the red-haired witch, whose face was further whitening (miraculously) as she spluttered.

_So, will you take me – or, us – up on our offer?_

Akako immediately capitulated. "Of course, Prince Spade. It's never been done, but I can try of course."

"I'm sure a witch of your caliber will easily figure it out," Kaito remarked, giving her a wide grin that made her smile a little as their teacher, Yonehara, strolled into the room. As he dove into his seat, giving Yonehara the same broad grin and laughing at her resigned reaction, the question of why he cared so much about Shinichi's survival ate away at the back of his mind.

* * *

_It's forty-two! It's forty-freaking-two! _Shinichi shouted.

Kaito suppressed a groan and rubbed his head. Trying to speak as quietly as possible, he muttered, "Shinichi, shut up!"

_But how can you not know that the answer is forty-two? It's so obvious! _lamented the former prince.

"Yeah, well, maybe not all of us are genii like you, okay?" hissed Kaito. "I've been putting up with your screeching over math problems, grammar, and history for _a week now, _and I'm getting damn sick of it!"

The prince huffed. _Well, I can't help it if your school is too easy._

"Who says it's easy?" Kaito retorted, bending over his work and scribbling with furious intent.

"Kuroba?"

Kaito's eyes snapped up to meet Yonehara's one-eyebrow-raised expression. "Care to tell us the answer to this problem, since you don't seem to be paying much attention?"

Blinking, Kaito thought for a second before cringingly saying, "Forty-two?"

Yonehara looked surprised. "Why, yes, that is the right answer…" She glanced over at the whiteboard skeptically, checking over her work, before turning back to Kaito. "Well, anyway, just pay attention and stop talking to yourself, okay?"

Kaito nodded, beaming at her.

_Looks like I saved you, doesn't it? _There was a distinct smugness in Shinichi's voice that made Kaito roll his eyes.

There were times like these that made Kaito desperate to get the crown prince out of his head, usually when he was being particularly annoying or arrogant. The irritation only worsened when the prince was right and because there was no escape from him.

Yet, Kaito thought as Yonehara dismissed the class for lunch, Shinichi did have his good points. He could make Kaito laugh seconds after pissing him off, and he was interesting to the point that Kaito often ended up conversing with him late into the night. He could be stunningly kind-hearted, it was true, and he definitely was intelligent, being almost better in Japanese than Kaito himself despite it being Shinichi's third language (the first was the native language of his ex-kingdom and the second being English) and almost disturbingly good at all kinds of math.

And recently, Kaito had confusedly discovered that he was getting less and less annoyed when the detective was egotistical. The anger was being replaced with something… warm? A feeling that felt a lot like something that started with an L and had four letters in it… And no, he didn't mean "like." He meant…

_Oh, shut up. There's no way, _Kaito reprimanded as he got his lunch and returned to classroom 2-B. Seeing Akako sitting alone, staring intensely down at an ancient-looking book, he walked over and plopped down beside her. "Hey, Akako."

_Good afternoon, Akako-san. _

He was acknowledged with a "Kuroba-kun" and Shinichi with a "Good afternoon, Prince Spade."

"So, how's it going? Found a way to get Shinichi out of my head yet?" Kaito chirped, opening his bento.

Akako cast him a sidelong glance and mumbled something under her breath.

"What's that?"

She cleared her throat. "I said I can get him out of your head, but I doubt I'll ever get him off your mind."

Kaito instantly blushed as Shinichi wondered, _What does she mean? _in a highly puzzled manner.

"She… it's nothing," Kaito hurried to reassure him.

Akako smirked and went back to her reading. "Anyway, in order to get the crown prince out of your head, I'm going to need his jewel and two days to make a compound. Do you still have the jewel?"

Kaito nodded and pulled it from God knows where. Handing it to her, he remarked, "If you do anything to the jewel that ends with Shinichi trapped in there…"

"I know, I know!" snapped Akako, snatching the jewel away from him. "You're not the one who's doing all the hard work to get your boy toy out of there!"

_Boy toy? Wait, whose boy toy am I?_

Kaito felt his heart skip a beat. "Mine?"

There was silence for a moment, then Shinichi said, _I guess I wouldn't really mind that. _Kaito went crimson.

Bent over her book, Akako wiped off a smile at the exchange. She did, of course, want all men to love her, but there was still that part of her that cared for Kaito in an almost motherly sense and wanted the best for him.

She stood up. "Well, my darlings –" (Kaito raised an eyebrow; Shinichi murmured, _What the hell?_) "– enjoy yourselves now. See you two later." She picked up her book and started to leave the classroom.

"Wait, where are you going?" Kaito hurried after her, catching her at the classroom door.

"Back home. If I want to start that compound, it's going to take some time. The formula for reversing the anti-science field is quite complicated, and I'm probably not going to be at school for a bit." She turned to send Kaito an icy glare. "And don't come to my house and bother me."

_Oh, okay, _Shinichi agreed. Kaito watched as Akako pushed the door open and walked out of the classroom, skirt swishing around her knees.

"Looks like it's just you and me, hm, Shinichi?" Kaito commented as he returned to his previous spot beside Akako's now empty desk.

_Yeah, I guess. _

Kaito and Shinichi sat in silence for a few moments before Kaito hesitatingly asked, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

_Shoot away._

Trying to keep the note of uncertainty from creeping into his voice and failing brilliantly, Kaito tentatively asked, "Uh… you were just joking when you said… _that_, right?"

_Hm? What? _the prince inquired, sounding baffled.

"You know… that bit about how you wouldn't mind being my… er… boy toy," Kaito managed, forcing himself to stop blushing like a teenage girl. _Goddammit this is embarrassing._

Shinichi was quiet. _Well, do you want me to have been joking? _he finally said after a pause.

This time Kaito couldn't control the flush that overtook his face. Stammering, he got out a, "Um, I –"

_You can decide that for yourself, _Shinichi cut him off ambiguously.

Kaito was about to respond when Yonehara returned to the front of the room, announcing the end of lunchtime. And as he tried to focus on _The Tale of Genji _and tune out Shinichi's snide comments, he had to wonder: What exactly had Shinichi meant?

* * *

"Hey, I finally finished my math homework!" Kaito cheered as he shut his textbook and looked proudly down at the completed assignment.

_I wouldn't be so proud if I were you. You got four wrong, _Shinichi stated, amused.

"Well, now they're right, thanks to you, oh great crown prince," countered Kaito, breaking into a grin.

He frowned when he didn't hear the usual retort. "Shinichi?"

There was a faint buzz at the base of his skull, and the prince's voice slowly came back. He was shouting almost hysterically. _Kaito, Kaito?! Can you hear me? Kaito!_

"I'm right here, you idiot!" Kaito half-screamed. "But that was really weird. Your voice was just knocked out of my head for a second."

There was a small silence that had Kaito worried. "Shinichi?"

_Yeah, I'm still here, don't worry, _the prince responded quickly. _But this means… the jewel, will I be…? _He let the question hang in the air.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Kaito reassured with an assurance he wasn't sure he felt himself.

_Yeah. I'm sure it's nothing._

* * *

The next morning, Kaito got up, brushed his teeth, changed his clothes, attempted to comb his hair, and was dumping cereal into a bowl when a realization struck him.

"Shinichi?" he said, his hand shaking.

There was no response.

"Shin – Shinichi?" he whispered.

There was no response.

"Shinichi!" Kaito yelled. For the first time in a long time, he was scared. Scared out of his wits.

He dropped the cereal box, sending pieces of cereal flying, and clutched his head. "Shinichi, can you hear me? Shinichi!"

There was no response.

* * *

**Yeah, I know, it was an awful chapter. I finally picked this up after a loooooong time, so my writing is a bit rusty, which is why this is lengthy and pointless. Um, yeah. Oh, and it's not very heavy ShinKai, I know. Also, Akako was incredibly out of character. I don't read MK or watch the specials, really, so uh, I had no idea how she acts...**

**And I'm quite sorry for ditching all my readers. I know, I randomly left FF for like... what... a lot of months, at least. I had some family issues. I... yeah. I know there's no excuse. But I'm back! Everyone's probably forgotten me by now, LOL. OTL**

**Oh, and would you guys be interested in an extremely late New Years one-shot I wrote? I forgot to post it, and now it's nowhere near New Years anymore. T_T. It's ShinKai, BTW.**

**Flames will be used for s'mores and/or feeding my resident pet Natsu. **

**See you awesome people when I post the next chapter! Thanks for reading~**


	3. An Ocean of Skies

_Sorry for the wait! This chapter could be kind of labeled as filler. Sorry! ^_^;; - Luna_

**Gem of a Person**

**An Ocean of Skies**

The soles of Kaito's shoes slapped against the sidewalk, the sounds barely audible above the rushing of blood in his ears. "Shinichi, hold on," he muttered desperately under his breath, casually ignoring the confused looks he received from fellow pedestrians.

"Let's see… Akako lives in which chome now…?" he wondered, turning a corner and looking frantically around. Finally spotting a large mansion tucked off behind a square block of buildings, he hurried up to the gate, disregarding the distinctly dark aura the house had.

The second the door was opened, Kaito pushed past the short man who had opened it, earning himself an outraged, "Hey!" and sprinting down the dimly lit hall until he spotted an ajar door. Guessing that it led to wherever Akako was, Kaito threw it open and ran in.

Akako spun around from her spot in front of a cauldron, looking shocked. "Kuroba-kun!" she shouted. "What the hell are you doing here? It's six forty-five in the morning!"

Panting, Kaito found it hard to get the words out. After a few moments of catching his breath, he explained in a highly frenzied voice, "Shinichi's voice wasn't in my head this morning and – and I think he was sucked into that goddamn jewel!"

Eyes widening, Akako looked around the dark room, finding the jewel sitting on a nearby table. Snatching it up, she stared at it with dismay. The blue light that had originally pulsed strongly at its core was definitely dimmer, barely there at all and only visible from a few specific angles.

"This is not good," she murmured, inspecting the jewel with growing agitation and worry. "According to my calculations, he should've had at least one more day before his consciousness was taken in… unless…"

Quickly becoming irate, Kaito half-shouted, "Damn it to hell, what can you do to save him?"

Akako calmly ignored him and continued her mumblings. "Unless there was outside interference such as a third party with magical abilities far more capable than mine… No, there isn't anyone like that around here, and that would only be applicable if Kuroba-kun died… but otherwise…."

A spark suddenly lit her amber eyes. "Wait, if he suddenly had a burst of _that _kind of energy over the course of only a few days…" Her gaze flew to Kaito, who cringed under her smoldering gaze, and her eyes narrowed. "The rate of the return would accelerate by quite a large percent, wouldn't it, and it would be almost without warnings, since _that _energy is considered definitely natural…" She pressed cold fingertips to her forehead in distress. "I didn't foresee that… why didn't I even consider…?"

Kaito was nearly insane with nerves. "Well, Akako, what are you going to do?!" he demanded impatiently.

As if remembering his presence, Akako started and looked at her guest. Clearing her throat, she announced, "The good news is that Prince Spade is still fighting the recall…" Her eyes dipped to the floor for a moment as she muttered, "Although probably not consciously; it's more a desire-driven willpower at this point…"

At the sound of Kaito loudly clearly his throat, Akako looked back up. "On the other hand, I didn't have time to finish the compound that was necessary for a safe retrieval –"

"How much longer would I – er, we have to wait for the compound to be finished?" interrupted Kaito, his nerves getting the better of his Poker Face.

Biting her lip, Akako answered, "At least another ten hours, and by then, Prince Spade will most definitely be at the point of no return, meaning his state inside of the jewel will be irreversible. I doubt he even has another hour. It's a side effect of his conscience being partially locked out, since the mind is incapable of recovering more than once when split and is no longer able to be retrieved from the confines of the jewel. It would've been better for us if all of him had originally been trapped inside. If it had been that way, I could've done a one-shot, no mess sort of extraction, but since his conscience was split into pieces, the compound is necessary for –"

"Is there any way to do the extraction without the compound?" asked Kaito, rapidly losing patience with Akako's incomprehensible explanations.

Letting out a sigh, Akako glanced at the jewel. "Well…" she drew the single word out, riddling it with unease.

"Well?" Kaito jumped on the single word.

"Theoretically, yes. There is a method I didn't consider because of its multitude of risks. It involves decomposing the magical bond sealing the space by…" Catching the look on Kaito's face, Akako quickly changed tactics. "What you do is you blast the jewel with an powerful amount of… concentrated energy. It's risky because there's no way to guarantee that Prince Spade won't also get hit by the… energy."

"At this point, it's not like it matters," Kaito said in a forcibly calm voice, grinding his teeth.

Akako looked at him with sad eyes. "You don't understand, Kuroba-kun. If the energy hits Prince Spade, he _will_ die. At this point, he's set to live forever, albeit inside the stone, but if the energy touches him…"

Kaito was taken somewhat aback.

"Also, you, as the one who was the last to be in contact with him, will have to be the provider of the energy."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" snarled Kaito, losing patience with the situation.

"Both physically and mentally. Physically I have a magically enhanced blowtorch you probably could use on the jewel, and mentally you would need to call out to Prince Spade using the last thread of mental connection you two _might_ still share," Akako informed him, looking reluctant to tell him. "The combination of the two, being different forms, would be much more effective and would be in combination a good amount of energy. But I really don't think –"

"How much longer until he's gone?" asked Kaito abruptly.

Caught by surprise, Akako stammered, "Probably around forty minutes now…"

"Where do you keep your blowtorches?"

* * *

"Kuroba-kun, this is a really bad idea," Akako said uneasily for perhaps the fortieth time in the last ten minutes. "How do you know that you won't hit Prince Spade?"

"Because I do," Kaito growled, taking a last deep breath. "So I just have to turn this thing on full blast and then – _call _out to Shinichi?"

Akako nodded, eyebrows knit. "But you're going to hit Prince Sp –"

"Damn it to hell, I am _not_," Kaito snapped. "And step back." He aimed the nozzle towards the gem, inside which the blue light was slowly dulling.

Moving away from the table, Akako insisted, "You don't know that you –"

Turning a gaze like the fire he was preparing to use onto the witch, who shrank back, Kaito said sharply, "There is no way in hell that I would hurt Shinichi, goddammit. I would never forgive myself if I did."

This only seemed to confirm something for the redhead, who seemed to give up at the proclamation. She took a couple of little steps away, eyes still downcast. As much as she disliked Prince Spade, she didn't want him to die. But the stakes were so high now…

"Step back," the magician reiterated before turning the blowtorch on. A stream of brilliant white fire shot from the nozzle, splashing against the gem, which glowed bright blue, then quickly a translucent white.

"You're… it's not working!" Akako screamed, an edge of horror attached to her voice. "You're going to kill him, Kuroba-kun!"

The gem glowed gray. A casual mixing of black and white.

Kaito gritted his teeth. "Shinichi!" _Goddammit! Why the hell wasn't it working?!_

The gem bloomed black, like ink that spread from its core to his outside.

"Kuroba-kun!" Akako yelled.

Black. The entire jewel was swallowing up in a disgusting shade of black, like a pool of shadows. The light was dimming, blackening, fading. The flames from the blowtorch in the magician's hands licked at it, trying to wash away that awful stain of black…

"Kudou Shinichi, there is no way in heaven, hell, or purgatory that I'm letting you get away from me!" Kaito shouted, a sudden burst of horror sprouting in him. What if he actually killed Shinichi?! He clenched his teeth even tighter, fighting down the horrible feeling rising in his stomach. "You're… not… allowed!"

Suddenly the gem flashed, and from within, a tiny speck of blue – the brightest blue, like summer skies and the ocean all stirred up – sparked, growing. Spreading. Restoring the jewel to that blue.

_Well, that's a good thing, because there's no way _I'm _letting _you _get away from _me_, thief-san, _a familiar voice said playfully inside his head.

"Shinichi?!" Kaito spoke aloud, voice edged with disbelief – right before there was a loud explosion and his vision was devoured by darkness.

The last thing he was aware of was a tall figure suddenly standing beside the table – that familiar bright blue just barely visible in the slowly opening eyes.

* * *

"Kaito?"

That voice. It was like – like happiness in the form of a sound. That was the best way Kaito could describe it. It was also so insanely familiar and so insanely _striking_ that his eyes instantly snapped open at the sound.

Leaning over him, a familiar yet _un_familiarface loomed. "Hey, you're up!" It was that voice. Finally amplified in open air, not inside his head. The voice of…

Kaito shot into a sitting position, and the face managed to move out of the way just in time. "You… you're…" Kaito stuttered, a blush – _dammit – _slowly warming his cheeks.

Before him stood the person he assumed to be Kudou Shinichi. He was nothing like what Kaito had envisioned – he was a thousand times sexier. His facial structure bore surprising similarity to Kaito's, but there were obvious differences – the cheekbones just slightly higher, the forehead a little larger, the ears set just a bit farther back, amongst multiple others.

His stature was proportionately just about the same, though Shinichi was about two inches taller than him, Kaito guessed. At the moment he was wearing what appeared to be an outfit of Kaito's, which was both fortunate and unfortunate, because the innocent t-shirt and jeans clung to his figure a little _too _well in _that _way. He was leanly muscled without appearing bulky in the least and had porcelain skin, smooth and pale and perfect. His hair was a shade of black coffee, mostly flat but with a few cowlicks and bangs that stuck out.

But the most – ehem – _attractive _part of Kudou Shinichi was definitely his eyes. They were wide and well-shaped, of course, but the color… _that _was what entranced Kaito. It was… _startling_, to say the least. The same color of the gem – that vivid tanzanite blue, like an ocean of skies. It was, simply put, the most beautiful color anyone's eyes could be, in Kaito's opinion.

The blue-eyed man – boy? – laughed. "I'm Prince Spade. Or Kudou Shinichi." He knelt beside Kaito's bed – he was in a bed? When had that happened? – and smiled fondly at up him, resting his arms on the starched white sheets. "You're Kuroba Kaito, aren't you, thief-san?"

Overcoming his momentary shock at Shinichi's appearance – because, really, who could not gape at the most attractive person they'd ever met? – Kaito nodded, still a little breathless. "Y-Yeah, that's me."

The smile widened. "I have to thank you for rescuing me from that jewel. Really. I didn't think you were going to make it, but according to Akako-san, we had a simultaneous burst of emotion –" Kaito raised an eyebrow, and Shinichi shrugged, "– which finished the extraction decently, although it wasn't all down all that cleanly, to be honest. You were wiped out for around a week." He motioned at the room. "We're in a hospital. Ekoda General, or something along those lines."

"How have _you _been doing?" wondered Kaito, glancing over the prince.

The prince's ever-present smile faltered a little. "I… I was out for a couple days myself," he said evasively. "The return of a physical body and physical senses overloaded me a… couple times."

"Damn straight they did," announced a new voice, and Kaito's eyes turned to the doorway, where Akako stood, looking slightly nettled. "The prince insisted on staying by your side, despite that he keep passing out. The hospital eventually brought in another bed." She traced a wide, empty space positioned abreast of Kaito's bed with her eyes in a rather pointed manner.

Kaito flushed. _What exactly were the implications of that…?_

"That's all over now," Shinichi cut in, sending the witch a glare, which she returned readily. "Anyway, now that you're up, we can see about moving you back to your place."

A new thought sprung in Kaito's head. "Wait, so where will you be staying? Do you have anywhere?"

Shinichi gave an uncomfortable shrug. "I, er…" He looked helplessly over at Akako, who smiled. Dangerously.

"No, he doesn't, so we were planning on having him stay at that abandoned mansion in Beika. It's been empty for years, so I cleaned it up during the week you two were in the hospital. I've already made arrangements with the owners, who, amusingly enough, share the shame last name as Prince Spade," she explained.

"Wait, are we talking about the Kudou mansion in Beika? That huge, freaky mansion?" Kaito sputtered, alarmed.

"I've got nowhere else to stay," Shinichi remarked, lifting his shoulders in an expression of defenselessness.

Kaito stared at him penetratingly for a moment before the words left his mouth. "Stay with me."

Akako blinked. Shinichi did too.

"No, there's no way that I could even consider doing that –" he started.

Putting up a hand to stop him, Kaito informed him, "My mom's on a world tour of the European countries that's going to last for the next two months, and my dad's been gone for years now. Honestly, it's fine. I don't trust you living by yourself in that mansion." Suddenly realizing what he was saying, Kaito lowered his head, blushing red.

"But – I…" stuttered Shinichi, slightly pink-cheeked himself. He glanced over at Akako, who was smirking smugly. "You don't really think I should…?"

The witch shrugged, though both the magician and the prince detected a glimmer of both amusement and dangerous enjoyment, neither of which spelled anything good for them. "Go on, Prince Spade. You can attend Ekoda with the two of us."

She paused, a grin that could easily be described as sadistic overcoming her pretty face. "I'm _sure _staying with Kuroba-kun will be _scandalously _delightful."

Laughing at the twin expressions of horror and embarrassment suddenly occupying both faces, she turned and exited the hospital room, leaving behind two madly blushing lookalikes.

Kaito finally broke the silence. "So… will you be staying with me?"

Shinichi coughed before turning to him and meeting his eyes. Kaito was instantly lost in the blue, so lost that he almost missed the prince's next words.

"Uh… sure. I'd love to."

* * *

**Yes indeed, that was filler. Very badly written filler. The solution to their little problem was pretty terrible, wasn't it? XP Sorry! I also got writer's block halfway through this and then I decided to reconsider the pacing (currently it's set to have around two more chapters). Hopefully this was still entertaining despite the lack of actual action. It was mostly Akako explaining shit. **

**Speaking of Akako, yeah, she's really out of character. Oh well~**

**BTW, would you mind looking at the poll on my profile? I'm currently deciding what to write, and your opinion is valued. Because damn, if I wrote just based on what I felt like writing, you would end up with a lot of plotless fluff from after a Junjou Romantica marathon when I'm overloaded with fangirlism. T_T**

**Okay, enough talk. I'm leaving now. Drop a review, k?**

**- Luna**


	4. Just the Way You Are

_Back by popular demand! I apologize for the mid-story A/N, but it's self-explanatory. Enjoy this fluffy filler & full A/N at bottom! - Luna_

**Gem of a Person**

**Just the Way You Are**

Kaito frowned without opening his eyes. Was it just him, or had he just heard a crash from downstairs? Sleep-blanketed irises shivered underneath the fortress of eyelids that slowly peeled away. His room was still steeping in the darkness he recognized as a property of nighttime.

A pale hand pulled out from underneath the covers, flinching as it gripped the phone sitting on his nightstand. Kaito squinted at its screen, which read 2:34 A.M. in vaguely annoyed print.

"Oh God," Kaito muttered to himself at the sudden thought of _who _could be causing a ruckus in the middle of the morning. Forcing himself up, he strode down the hallway, ripping the clinging bits of sleep from his eyes with the sides of his fingers.

When he reached the foot of the stairs, he hit the light switch, flooding the kitchen with a warm glow and simultaneously making himself cringe.

Shinichi looked up, looking vaguely surprised. He was standing in the center of the kitchen, hand poised as if he was holding a cup despite that he was doing no such thing. Kaito looked down at the floor and rolled his eyes at the cracked bits of a formerly whole glass cup.

"Hello," said Shinichi.

"Shinichi," Kaito started, his voice still rubbed with tiredness, "what are you doing? It's two in the morning."

"I forgot how to sleep, so I came here to get some water. But then the cup felt weird, so I dropped it," the former prince replied as if it was a completely normal occurrence.

Kaito stared at him like he was insane.

"You try being isolated, bodiless, in a jewel for God knows how many years," Shinichi snapped, seeming irked. "If I had my way, I wouldn't be wearing clothes."

"What?" That got Kaito awake, or at least to form many unholy mental images.

Shinichi pulled at his shirt, a gray t-shirt Kaito had lent him. "Even after a week, it still feels weird against my skin, you know?" He pulled up the hem, exposing a toned stomach before glancing up at Kaito apprehensively. "If you don't mind…?"

"I do I do I do I do," Kaito quickly squeaked, taking a step back and pushing down the urge to blush madly and start gibbering.

Raising an eyebrow, Shinichi sighed and mercifully dropped the shirt. "Well, I've got to get this cleaned up. You can go on back to sleep," he added, crouching and beginning to pick up the bits of glass.

"You'd better not –" Kaito warned, but not before Shinichi jerked his hand back, looking somewhat confused as a bead of blood oozed from a new and quite large cut on his finger.

"I tried to warn you," muttered Kaito, kneeling down beside the prince and gently picking up his hand.

"Hm. That's an uncomfortable feeling," Shinichi commented.

"Huh? The pain?" Kaito asked absently, trying to remember where they kept their bandages. Was it in the bathroom or the medicine cabinet?

"Oh, no. I recognize that."

"What is it, then?" the magician wondered, gently gripping Shinichi's wrist and tilting his palm from side to side to check for more wounds.

"The way my heart is beating fast now. Can't you feel my pulse?" Shinichi stated, rubbing his unoccupied hand back through his hair. "It's kind of weird. I was fine a minute ago…"

"Huh?' Kaito frowned and blinked a few times before the meaning of the prince's words suddenly caught on. He was suddenly aware that both his and Shinichi's pulses were hammering faster than they probably should, and how he could feel Shinichi's breathing and see the almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest….

Kaito quickly stood up, scuttling away till his back hit the oven. Shinichi was looking at him oddly, but Kaito could only get out a, "Er… you can throw away the glass. I… There's gloves in the drawer by the rice cooker." He hazarded one instantly regretted glance at Shinchi's blue-blue-blue eyes before rapidly turning tail and heading back to his bedroom. "Good night."

_(__**A/N: **__I hate having author's notes in the middle of the story, but I just wanted to point out that here is where I left off roughly six months ago, so if there's any change in the flow/style, it would probably be because of that. - Luna)_

* * *

The next morning found Kaito sleep-deprived and heavy-lidded as he stumbled into the bathroom, plagued with memories of the previous night. He nearly crashed into Shinichi, who was staring into the bathroom mirror pensively.

"Oh. Good morning," Kaito stuttered, at a loss. He shouldered past the prince and groped around for his toothbrush, avoiding Shinichi's eyes. Gripping the toothbrush handle, he dampened the bristles underneath the faucet and squeezed out toothpaste, standing as far away as the bathroom allowed from Shinichi.

"Hey, Kaito?" Shinichi asked in an absent tone, angling his face from side to side.

"Uh huh?" The magician screwed the cap back onto the tube of toothpaste, standing it up against the wall.

"Am I attractive?"

Kaito promptly dropped his toothbrush, along with his jaw, as his eyebrows shot up.

"What did you just ask?" he demanded quizzically, reaching into the sink to reclaim his toothbrush.

"What, you didn't hear?" the prince questioned incredulously.

Examining the bristles on the brush, Kaito shook his head indignantly. "Uh, no. I just must've heard you wrong. I thought you asked if you were _attractive_."

"I did. I asked if I was attractive," responded the prince serenely, severing his gaze from his reflection in favor of watching Kaito. "Am I?"

"Excuse me? Shouldn't you ask a girl something like that?" Kaito shoved the head of his toothbrush into his mouth, effectively filling his mouth in a feeble attempt to avoid continuing the conversation. It was as if the former prince knew exactly what Kaito was thinking, and it was unnerving, to say the least.

"Well, I don't know any girls other than Akako-san, who I refuse to ask, and I thought you could give a more objective judgment," explained Shinichi, lifting his shoulders in a very nonchalant way. "You know, because most girls would probably try to flatter me, since they might see me as a possible lover."

"And how do you know that I don't?" muttered Kaito around a mouthful of toothpaste, fighting back a blush as he realized what he had said.

Thankfully, Shinichi seemed oblivious. "What was that just now?" he questioned, slanting his head to one side inquisitively.

Leaning over the sink, Kaito spat out the toothpaste and backhanded his mouth a couple times before returning his attention to Shinichi. He pulled on a perfectly blank expression, drawing on his acting prowess, before settling into a more relaxed position against the bathroom counter. "It was nothing. So why do you want to know if you're attractive or not?"

"I was thinking about it. I haven't been able to see for such a long time that I kind of was wondering how someone's sense of beauty works. You, Akako-san, and some of the doctors and nurses at the hospital are the only people I've seen since I've… returned. I thought that a few of the nurses were pretty –" (Kaito flinched, and Shinichi sent him a concerned glance before carrying on) "– and of course I have to admit Akako-san is beautiful even though I despise her, and you…" At the sudden lift of Kaito's eyebrows and curious incline of his head, Shinichi trailed off. "Anyway, I was trying to figure out whether or not I myself was attractive, but I don't think I can do it impartially enough. So I wanted your opinion."

Kaito stared at him wordlessly.

"…I'm not attractive at all, am I." Shinichi let out a sigh, looking heartbreakingly dejected. "Guess it was too much to hope for."

"No, that's… not it. I was just trying to understand your reasoning," Kaito hurried to assure him, placing a hand against the back of his head and tangling his fingers through the messy bedhead residing there. It's…" He broke off, unsure of what exactly he was trying to convey. Shinichi appeared to be having the same difficulty, as he eyed Kaito inquisitorially.

"Look, Shinichi… don't worry about whether you're… uh… attractive or not. You're fine." The thief swallowed, averting his eyes from Shinichi's far too knowing and far too blue ones. "Just the way you are."

The ex-prince regarded Kaito in silence before nodding slowly. "I trust your judgment."

"Really? Thank you. Now, uh, I have to finish brushing my teeth," Kaito babbled, raising his toothbrush to do just that.

Shinichi agreed. "I'm going to go to the kitchen. Oh… by the way, Kaito, you should probably get ready for school."

As Shinichi plodded off, humming tunelessly to himself, it took Kaito a full minute to realize what exactly the man meant.

From the kitchen, Shinichi blinked and stared in the general direction of the bathroom at the horrified shriek emanating from it. "I guess he didn't realize he has school." Shrugging, he tentatively took out a cereal box from Kaito's pantry, shivering at the sensation.

* * *

Kaito sighed, his breath gliding across the surface of his desk, before reassembling his head back on his shoulders. He had made it into the classroom just before Yonehara, who shot him an irritated glance before taking her position at the front of the room.

"Hey! Kaito!" Blinking, Kaito looked over at Aoko, who had leaned across the aisle separating their seats and jabbed him in the side. She was watching him with a concerned downward tilt to her lips. "Where were you for the past week?" she queried lowly as Yonehara called for them to stand and bow.

"Uh…" Unsure of to what extend he should be honest, Kaito answered, "The… hospital?"

"The hospital?! Why?!" screeched Aoko, startling most of the nearby students. Yonehara looked at her oddly.

"Nakamori-san, are you okay?"

"What? Oh. Yes, of course," Aoko stumbled over her words, flushing. As Kaito snickered, she sent him a flustered glare that meant _you will tell me later or you will die_, only serving to increase Kaito's snickers.

She held true to her promise, however. Once class had been dismissed for lunch, Aoko stomped over to Kaito's desk, towering darkly over him and casting an ominous shadow over his desk.

"Kaito," growled Aoko. The man in question looked up at her cheerily.

"Yes, dear Aoko?" he asked in a voice of pure sugar.

"You're going to tell me why you were in the hospital for a week!" she commanded, violently smashing her palms against Kaito's desk in an attempt to show him exactly how serious she was.

"Calm down, Aoko. I was just a little sick," Kaito told her smoothly, grinning as she scowled.

"'A little sick' does _not _equate to a week in the hospital," she snapped fiercely, tossing her head. Her boyfriend took the chance to appear at her side.

"Since I already despise you, Kuroba-kun, I have no qualms killing you for annoying my girlfriend. Just thought I'd remind you," the blond detective informed Kaito, who rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

"Uh huh. You do that, Hakuba."

Tossing the thief a last sneer, Hakuba refocused his attention on Aoko. "So, Aoko-kun, did you make lunch for me today?" he asked, a light blush occupying the pale expanse of his cheeks.

Blushing, Aoko nodded silently and scrambled to pull out two handmade bento boxes from her bag. "Here you go, Saguru," she said, extending one of them to a detective who was suddenly all smiles.

"Thank you," he returned, accepting the box and reaching over to kiss her on the cheek. Aoko beamed.

Kaito sighed and sank down in his seat. Clearly the two of them were in some other world, one that did not include his presence.

"Would you like to accompany me to the rooftop?" Hakuba invited formally. Aoko nodded slightly, and Hakuba turned and started out of the classroom, but not before checking to make sure Aoko was behind him.

Watching them go with an eyebrow raised, Kaito chuckled to himself, shaking his head fondly after them, and reached into his own book bag, intent on getting out his own lunch.

His stomach dropped at the realization that he hadn't packed himself a bento _or _brought money for the cafeteria. It had slipped his mind, what with trying to locate all parts of his uniform and get his books together and eat breakfast all within the span of ten minutes he'd had to get ready.

Hearing his empty stomach thundering underneath his shirt, Kaito cringed and rooted through the dark recesses of his book bag hopefully. Maybe he had magically put something in…?

His eyes snapped wide open as his fingertips brushed against something that felt like plastic. Confused but with growing elation, Kaito fumbled around inside the bag for a moment before extracting a bento box.

What do you know, bento boxes _do _magically appear in book bags.

It took Kaito a second to register that there was a slip of paper attached to the front. He tugged it off and read the wobbly print disbelievingly:

_Hey Kaito. I made this for you, since I figured you wouldn't have time to make one yourself. I'm not really sure if it's any good, considering that I can barely differentiate between salt and sugar at the moment, but hopefully it's not too strange. If it is, I do apologize._

_- Shinichi._

Staring at the note, Kaito cautiously opened the lid, peering inside. The food was simple – rice studded with a single umeboshi and sesame seeds, edamame, and some eggs. Kaito had to wonder when exactly Shinichi had made it, and decided it had most likely been while Kaito had been frantically rummaging around in his room for his uniform.

He reached into his bag, located a pair of chopsticks, and hesitantly started on the bento. While the eggs were strangely sweet, the rest of the food was entirely edible. Kaito bit back a smile along with a clump of rice.

The prince was full of surprises, huh?

* * *

Rounding a corner and panting wildly, Kaito glanced around, checking his surroundings, before speeding on. "The jewelry store… it's somewhere around here, right?"

He had spontaneously received a call from a very confused Inspector Nakamori after school had let out, who had asked him if he knew a Kudou Shinichi. Finding that the answer was yes, the inspector had simply ended the call with, "Come to the jewelry store by the Ekoda Art Gallery as soon as possible, then. We've got a… situation."

Kaito gritted his teeth. _What the hell? What does he mean by that? _He turned another corner, nearly ran over a startled school girl who let out a yelp, apologized, and hurried straight towards the jewelry store, which had been sectioned off with crime scene tape…? Kaito looked around and finally noticed the unusual number of police cars stationed around, and he scowled. What had Shinichi done?

Aoko's father, who was standing by the entrance wearing a sour expression, started upon seeing Kaito barreling towards him. "Hey, Kaito-kun."

"Inspector Nakamori! What's going on?" huffed Kaito, drawing to a halt in front of the mustached man.

The inspector hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "See for yourself."

Sending the man a glare at the unhelpfully cryptic comment and receiving one in response, Kaito ducked underneath the crime scene tape and jogged into the jewelry store.

Shinichi was standing by one of the jewelry cases, talking to a police officer Kaito didn't recognize. Kaito was about to call out to him and complain, but the words on his lips stayed there upon realizing that directly in front of him, a corpse was stretched out, one that appeared to have been freshly murdered. A few of the police officers milling around sent him raised-eyebrows, and Kaito clamped his mouth down, forcing down a gag.

Kaito stepped around the body and headed straight for Shinichi. "Hey – what's this all about?"

"Ah! Kaito! Good to see you," Shinichi greeted with a nod.

"This young man here claimed to be a friend of yours. Since none of the other officers knew who you were, they called me here to call you to verify that you know him," explained Inspector Nakamori from behind Kaito.

"Wait, but seriously, what happened? Why's there a dead person over there?"

"Oh, I was just here at the, uh, jewelry store, and someone got murdered. I was detained for questioning," Shinichi answered, seeming to avoid making eye contact with Kaito.

"What? Why were you at a _jewelry store_? How did you even _get _here?" Kaito stared at the prince, sure he was insane.

"In any case, I've almost solved the mystery of who's the murderer, so if you could just wait a few more minutes…?" Shinichi said without answering any of Kaito's questions.

The thief gave him an _are you serious _glare before stalking off, standing by one of the display cases. From a distance, he watched Shinichi discussing something with the police officers. Really, the man was a mystery himself, and Kaito found that ridiculously fascinating…

_Wow, I'm an idiot. _Glancing down in shame, the sight of a beautiful amethyst set in a large necklace suddenly caught Kaito's eye. He crouched down beside it, brow furrowed at the strange red sheen that slipped across the facets like oil. "That's strange…" he murmured.

"It is, isn't it?" Kaito jumped at the sound of Shinichi's voice suddenly close to his ear.

Whirling, he stared at Shinichi in shock. "Huh?"

Shinichi leaned against the case, cupping his chin in his palm. "It's a strange gem, isn't it?"

"I guess."

"Well, I suppose it's more than just strange." Shinichi smiled, almost lost in an uncharacteristic trance.

Kaito glanced over at him curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm pretty sure that Ran's inside of that amethyst."

* * *

**Ooooh, I wonder what's going to happen~? Drama, that's what!**

**Yay, return of a long-dead fic. I kind of forgot how to write in my old style, sooooo... yeah. God, I never realized how flowery I used to write. o_O**

**I've decided to continue this story (_Gem of a Person_), _A Sonata and a Smile_, and _Semantics. _I'm going to try to keep up with _Once Upon a Time_ just for myself, since I really like writing those oneshots XD.**

**But, uh, review? :)**

**- Luna**


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